Trooper not charged after Tasing man who then fell to his death from I-15 overpass
A pedestrian — identified as Anthony James Valdez, 46, of Bluffdale — fell approximately 21 feet from an I-15 overpass and died after being Tased by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper, according to the Department of Public Safety. Valdez was fleeing from authorities and jumped over a cement barrier before the stun gun was used. Officials said life-saving measures were attempted but Valdez was pronounced dead at the scene.
UHP troopers received reports of a man running on I-15 — going in and out of traffic intermittently for about 40 minutes — near 600 North just after 8 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13. Troopers located Valdez an hour later in the northbound lanes of the freeway.
PREVIOUS STORY: Man identified after falling from I-15 overpass, being Tased by trooper
Valdez allegedly fled from authorities as troopers slowed traffic to prevent him from being hit or causing a crash. Officials said Valdez ran toward the 600 North off-ramp where he jumped a cement barrier and continued to flee from authorities. A trooper then used a Taser to 'keep him from going back into the roadway' and Valdez fell from the overpass, landing 30 feet below in a residence's yard.
DPS officials said life-saving measures were attempted but Valdez was pronounced dead on scene.
'I just want to commend [the trooper's] decision to speak with the investigative officers and sharing of the context of what happened,' said Sim Gill, Salt Lake County District Attorney. 'That helps us flesh out the factual scenario much more robustly.'
'Help me': Vernal woman found with knife in head after attempted murder by home intruder
Gill noted that the trooper gave all of his statements without reviewing his body-worn camera, 'which is a very important thing from [Gill's] perspective, because it allows [investigators] to really focus in on his impressions of what happened,' Gill said.
The medical examiner determined that Valdez died from blunt-force trauma. The trooper's use of force was determined to be legally justified.
Gill reportedly met with Valdez's family before the press conference.
No further information is available at this time.
Judge orders Trump administration to provide updates on mistaken deportation case
Inside Radical Generosity: Mark Young's global call to give more than money
Will there be any veto overrides from 2025? Here's what Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz said about it
Garage on Beck is permanently closing its doors, building to be torn down
Immigration judge allows Mahmoud Khalil deportation effort to proceed
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Fundraiser to fulfill tragic security guard's ‘wish' for his kids after he's killed in NYC mass shooting
A fundraiser for the children of security guard gunned down in last week's mass shooting in Midtown Manhattan has topped $60,000 — as kin hailed him as 'a pillar of strength' for his family. Aland Etienne, 46, was among four people killed by gun-toting maniac Shane Tamura at 345 Park Ave. on July 28, leaving his family and school-aged kids without a provider, the gofundme site said. 'Aland was more than just a colleague or friend — he was light in every room, a pillar of strength for his family, and the kind of father every child dreams of,' the site said. 'He leaves behind two beautiful children who were his entire world. Advertisement 3 Aland Etienne, 46, was a doting dad and a beloved fixture at 345 Park Ave. before tragedy struck. Obtained by the NY Post 'His deepest wish was to give them the future they deserve.' Etienne was on duty when Tamura stormed in, killing him, Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner and NYPD Police Officer Didarul Islam, before taking the elevator to the 33rd floor. Advertisement There, he opened fire on cleaning woman Sebije Nelovic, who managed to duck into a closet, before he shot and killed 27-year-old Rudin Management associate Julia Hyman — then killed himself. 3 Tragic victims, clockwise from top left — Wesley LePatner, Aland Etienne, NYPD officer Didarul Islam, Julia Hyman. Blackstone; Facebook; Obtained; Linkedin 3 Shane Tamura, a deranged Las Vegas security guard, stormed into 345 Park Ave. with an AR-15 assault rifle July 28. Obtained by the NY Post Advertisement Etienne has a son who celebrated his 7th birthday just days after the tragedy, and an older daughter, According to sources. He was a beloved fixture at the Midtown skyscraper, the sources said. Shamura, a disgruntled Las Vegas security guard, was targeting NFL offices in the building over perceived CTE injuries from playing high school football — but went to the wrong floor. Funerals for the slain hero cop, a married 36-year-old father of two who had been on the force for four years; LePatner, the married mom of two; and Hyman, a Cornell graduate, were held last week.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Hero worker saved 8 from NYC mass shooting — by shoving them into a closet
He was a hero in a hail of bullets. A courageous greeter in the lobby at 345 Park Ave. saved eight lives by shoving people into a closet after they unwittingly stumbled into the scene of last week's mass shooting, The Post has learned. Andre Morris, 39, insists he only did what 'needed to be done' when crazed gunman Shane Tamura opened fire just as a group of workers got off an elevator at the Midtown high-rise last Monday. Advertisement 6 Lobby greeter Andre Morris saved 8 people from the horrific Midtown shooting on Park Avenue last week. Provided by Andre Morris He didn't think twice as he rushed the employees into a nearby closet where the group hunkered down in panicked silence — texting loved ones and bracing the door against the AR-15-wielding gunman outside. 'I just did my job,' Morris told The Post, adding. 'I'm not a hero. I am completely devastated by the tragic and senseless deaths.' Advertisement Morris has worked for building owner Rudin Management for ten years and as a lobby ambassador in the Park Avenue location for the past three. The mass shooting — the deadliest in New York City in a quarter century — claimed the lives of off-duty NYPD cop Didarul Islam, building security guard Aland Etienne, Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner and Rudin Management staffer Julia Hyman. One other person was wounded. Tamura, the 27-year-old gunman, turned his rifle on himself, ending his reign of terror on the 33rd floor. 6 Tamura's massacre claimed the lives of 4 in the building. Obtained by the NY Post Advertisement 6 Morris has worked for building owner Rudin Management for ten years. Matthew McDermott Morris was getting water at his post when he heard between 10 and 15 gunshots, but couldn't locate the gunman. As he saw bullets ricochet and a puff of smoke, he dialed 911 and then radioed to warn other building staff. The heavily secured building is home to a slew of high-end clients, including investment management firm Blackstone and the NFL — the latter of which Tamura was targeting. Morris corralled the eight workers as they left the elevator and led them to a closet, where he turned off his radio so it wouldn't give away their hiding spot and directed everyone to swallow their terror and keep silent. Advertisement 6 Workers in Blackstone's Park Avenue building were seen barricading their office door during gunman Shane Tamura 's deadly rampage Morris and another person tried to firmly keep the door shut as the other refugees texted loved ones. When he heard cops on the scene, he opened the door and led the workers out while reminding them to keep their hands up as they were taken to safety. 'As lobby ambassador I know the people who come to work here every day, they become family,' he said. 6 The mass shooting was the deadliest in New York City in a quarter century. Obtained by NY Post 'Building management had provided training for all kinds of emergencies, you think they'll never happen. But when this happened, my training and instincts kicked in, I knew what needed to be done and gathered as many people as I could.' Two women who worked at Blackstone and were rescued by Morris described how they first saw the slain security guard dead on the ground and heard a commotion while waiting to be rescued in the closet. One of the workers, who did not want to be named, recalled how she and several others where in the lobby when she she heard gunfire. Advertisement 'We had just stepped down [off elevator] and we saw the turnstiles broken,' the first worker said. 'We walked one elevator bank and we saw the security guard alone, dead in the floor, and that's when we realized something was going on. 'We sought shelter. Everything is just kind of hazy.' The other worker said there were eight people, including a few other Blackstone workers, crammed into a tiny 'security closet type of space.' 6 Employees squeezed into a closet in the building to shelter from the barrage of bullets. AP Advertisement 'While in there we heard footsteps, yelling, gunshots,' the second worker recalled. 'The SWAT team evacuated us because we were like in the middle of everything happening, so I think they wanted to make sure that we weren't shooters, so we had to raise our hands above our heads.' The two women stopped by the building Friday morning to pay respects to the victims as they and countless others continue to grieve. Morris is particularly grieving for Etienne, the brave security guard, whom he called a 'dear friend.' Advertisement A Rudin Management security source commended Morris for his quick thinking and bravely following security training amid the chaos. 'We are tremendously grateful to Andre,' the source said. 'In addition to showing hospitality, the lobby ambassadors are an instrumental part of our security force.'
New York Post
14 hours ago
- New York Post
McCloskeys win back AR-15 rifle 5 years after Black Lives Matter protest confrontation
The St. Louis couple who went viral in 2020 for wielding guns as Black Lives Matter protesters marched outside their property have regained possession of their semiautomatic rifle. After a years long and complex legal struggle to reclaim their weapons after they were seized by authorities more than five years ago, police have returned the AR-15 to St. Louis lawyers Mark and Patricia McCloskey. Advertisement 'It only took 3 lawsuits, 2 trips to the Court of Appeals and 1,847 days, but I got my AR15 back!' Mark McCloskey posted to his X account on Friday, along with several photos of him carrying the gun. 'We defended our home, were persecuted by the left, smeared by the press, and threatened with death, but we never backed down.' In a separate X post, Mark McCloskey also shared a video of himself retrieving the rifle from a police station. 'That gun may have only been worth $1,500 or something, and it cost me a lot of time and a lot of effort to get it back, but you have to do that,' Mark McCloskey told Fox News Digital, adding he owns other weapons. 'You have to let them know that you will never back down, you'll never give up.' Advertisement 3 Mark McCloskey was given his AR-15 back FOX News He said he expects their pistol, wielded by Patricia McCloskey during the confrontation, to be returned by next week. The AR-15 ended up in the possession of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, while the pistol wound up in the possession of the St. Louis Sheriff's Department, he added. 'Each and every one of us owns a personal responsibility for our freedom and our democratic republic,' Mark McCloskey said. Advertisement In June 2020, a video of the gun-toting McCloskeys took the internet by storm after a swarm of Black Lives Matter protesters broke down an iron gate and ignored a 'No Trespassing' sign on their private street. 3 The couple went viral in 2020 for wielding guns as Black Lives Matter protesters marched outside their property. UPI 3 Their weapons were seized by authorities five years ago. UPI The couple, who said they felt threatened, armed themselves before heading outside to ward off the crowd, which was on its way to the former mayor's home. No one was hurt. Advertisement After the incident, the McCloskeys's were were seized by law enforcement, and they were charged with unlawful use of a weapon by St. Louis' former Democratic prosecutor, Kim Gardner. Shortly after that, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt moved to dismiss charges brought by Gardner. In 2021, the McCloskeys pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and second-degree harassment but later were granted a pardon by former Missouri Gov. Mike Parson. Last month, a Missouri appeals court confirmed the expungement of the McCloskeys' misdemeanor convictions, which, under state law, means it is as though the incident never happened, Mark McCloskey said. 'If you've been wronged, if you've been overreached by the leftist government — you can't give up,' Mark McCloskey told Fox News Digital. 'You can't let them get an inch.' The St. Louis Sheriff's Office and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
